Writing device

ABSTRACT

A writing device with a tracing point comprises detachable head fitted with a writing member and ink conducting means so that when the head is mounted on the writing device ink is fed to said member enabling one to write with the same. The member is a nib or a ball.

United States Patent Inventor Raymond Cheron Villeneuve Saint-Georges,France App]. No. 837,792 Filed June 30, 1969 Patented Mar. 30, 1971Assignee Le Foyer Et Cie Paris, France Priority Apr. 2, 1969, Feb. 18,1969 France 6,910,013 and 6,903,984

WRITING DEVICE 10 Claims, 14 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 401/18, 401/21, 401/23, 401/209, 401/199, 401/224, 401/241,401/249 Int. Cl 843k 27/08 Primary Examiner-Lawrence CharlesAttorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen ABSTRACT: A writing devicewith a tracing point comprises detachabIe head fitted with a writingmember and ink conducting means so that when the head is mounted on thewriting device ink is fed to said member enabling one to write with thesame, The member is a nib or a ba11..

Patented March 30, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented March 30, 1971 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented March 30, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 w @r i v mgwnrrrnc nsvrcs FIELD OF THE lNVENTiON The invention relates to writingdevices comprising writing instrument having a tracing point.

PRIOR ART Writing instruments having a nib, or fountain pens as well aswriting instruments having a ball, or ballpoint pens, are known. Writinginstruments, sometimes called markers, or tracers, the writing member ofwhich is made up of a tracing point of fibrous or cellular material, arealso known.

Up to now these instruments are distinct.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has as its object theprovision of a writing instrument which may be used at will as afountain pen or as a ballpoint pen or as a marker.

According to the invention, there is provided a writing devicecomprising a writing instrument having a tracing point, the writingdevice further comprising a detachable head having a writing memberotherthan a tracing point and ink conduction means for controlledfeeding of the said member when the head is mounted over the tracingpoint on the writing instrument.

The invention will be well understood from the description ofembodiments thereof which follows, given by way of example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view of thefront part of a marker;

FllG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a nib head;

vFlG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a writing device accordingto the invention, when utilizable as a fountain pen;

FlG. is a view similar to FIG. 3, but for another embodiment;

FllG. 5 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, of a part of the deviceshown in FlG.

FlG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the front part of anotherembodiment of a writing device;

'FlG. '7 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of a conduit of the deviceof FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear end view of the conduit of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but for another embodiment;

FlG. it) is a sectional view along the line 10-10 in FIG. 9;

FIG. ii is a view similar to FIGS. 3 and 6, but for a variant;

FM]. 12 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, of a part of the deviceshown in FIG. 11;

FIG. H3 is a view of the rear end of a writing device; and

FIG. M is a similar view to that of FIG. 13, with a writing head inposition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference is first made toFIGS. 1 to 3. The writing instrument comprises a marker A (FlG. 1), thebody 10 of which is connected by tapping ill and thread 12 to a pointdevice 13. This point device comprises a body 14 and a rear tubularappendage ll5 carrying thread 12. The point device I3 is bored axiallyalong a passage 16 in which is housed a marking member 17 in the shapeof a stern and terminating in a point 18, usually of a conical shape,having a tip 19. In the stem 17 a groove 20, communicating with theexterior by a port 2!, ensures the entry of air. A striker 22 is drivenintO an internal bore 23 of the tubular appendage of the point device.It has a central passage 24, which extends the passage 16 and whichhouses the rear part of the stem 17; at its rear end 25, the strikerterminates in an oblique cutting edge 26. Housed inside the body to is astore of ink which is either of a free level-and which can be containedin a cartridge, then opened by cooperation with the striker ZZ-or elsepresent in a capillary charge.

This marker can be used in the conventional manner.

With the marker A there cooperates a nib device B, which comprises abody 30 (FIG. 2), the rear edge 31 of which caps the edge 27 of ashoulder 28 on the point device l3 (FiG. 3), so that the lateral surface32 of the body 30 is in extension of the surface 29 of the body it). Aring 33 is fitted in a groove 34, of rectangular section, in the body itA rear bore 35 of the body 3t) cooperates with the lateral surface 36,of conjugate shape, of the point device. A front bore 37 of the body 30houses a nib 38, made of gold or steel, of tubular or other shape, therear edge 39 of which abuts against a shoulder 49 in the body 30.

Arranged inside the nib 38, and lining a large portion of its internalsurface 41, is a tongue &2 made from spongy material forming a fold 43at its rear part in the region of the shoulder 40 from which it extendsfollowing an extension 44, of prismatic or conical shape, orprism-conical, as far as an edge 45 substantially in contact with theinternal surface of the bore 37.

When the market A is capped with the nib device B, as shown in FIG. 3,the tracing point 18 comes into contact with the extension 44 of thetongue 42, so that a capillary communication is established between thenib 38 and the ink store, through the medium of the tongue 42, theextension 44, and the stem 17, the instrument being able to function inthe manner of a fountain pen.

If necessary, more especially when the ink store of the tracer is freelevel, compensation means are housed inside the nib 38 and/or the bore37 to retain ink which escapes from the store, for example in the caseof a temperature rise.

' When one wishes to use the instrument as a marker once again, it issufficient to remove the nib device B and the instrument resumes itsconfiguration shown in FlG. i. Equally, if, for any reason, the nib isdamaged, the instrument can continue to be used for writing by returningit to its marker state.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 4, which is similar to FIG. 3, butshows another embodiment. In this embodiment, a tongue 5%, with whichthe nib is in contact, has a descending branch Sll (FIG. 5), which is incontact, by its rear face 52, with a washer 53 made of more rigidcapillary material, for example porous material, which has an orifice 54in the shape of a truncated cone. The point is is housed in this orificeupon the positioning of the nib device B, thus ensuring a contact oflarge area between the washer 53 and the branch 51. In this embodiment,the compensation means 55 for retaining ink form part of the marker Aand are operative both when the writing instrument is used as a markerand when it is used as a fountain pen.

Reference will now be made to E1108. 6 to 8. The fountain pen head 64)is adapted to fit on the front end of a writing instrument 61, thewriting member of which is made up of a stem 62 terminating in a point63. The head comprises a body 64 having a cylindrical bearing surface 65cooperating with a shoulder as on the writing instrument til fordetachable mounting. The head so houses a conduit 67, made up of a core68 of plastic material of a generally cylindrical shape, having abeveled front face 69. The core 68 and the body 64 define an annular gapin which a nib 70 is housed.

The core 63 has a capillary bore 72 of circular transverse section whichis blind at its front end 86 and open at the rear end 7i of the core toreceive the point as when the head fill is placed on the writinginstrument fit.

A longitudinal and radial slot 73, the orifice 74 of which on theexternal surface 75 of the core 68 is situated in the middle of the nib70, opens into the bore '72. The slot 73 has an incurved front edge 7s.

Other longitudinal slots 77 and 78 also open into the bore 72 and haveorifices 79 and 80 which are arranged obliquely. The ends 81 and 132 ofthe slots on the front face '71 are spaced from the longitudinal medianplane of the core of and the opposite ends have a common juncture withthe slot 73. The distance between the parallel faces 83 and 34%delimiting a slot is smaller than the diameter of the bore 72, so thatthe capillary path thus ofiered to the inkas from the point @3 is of adecreasing dimension as far as the nib 7%, which is favorable tocontrolled feeding.

Reference will now be made to FlGS. and iii. in this embodiment, thecore 90 of the conduit not only has a central bore @ii, blind at itsfront end and from which there emerges a radial slot 92, but alsosemicircular transverse grooves 93, four in number in the example shown,namely 93, 93 which contribute to the controlled feeding of the nib.

in the embodiment of H65. it and 12, the tracer 61, the constitution ofwhich is similar to that which has been described previously, can becapped by a ball writing device iii) so constituted that the feed of theball is ensured from the tracing point as.

The ball writing device lit comprises a tubular body ill having atransverse vent R31 and an external surface 312 which, initiallysubstantially cylindrical, tapers to an ogival or conical end H3. Theinternal surface of the body ill comprises a bore l M adapted tocooperate with the shoulder 66 of the writing instrument, a bore 115 ofsmaller diameter adapted to cooperate with the cylindrical part 103 ofthe writing instrument, a bore lid of even smaller diameter, whichhouses the front end M24 of the writing instrument, and a bore H7. inthis bore H7 a ball head 118 is tightly fitted. The ball head lidcomprises a tubular body H19 in which is mounted a ballpoint 12th. Theend E21 of the ball point 120 is crimped so as to maintain a ball 1122at the end of a passage 123. This passage is extended towards the rearby an enlarged part 32 3.

Housed inside the ball head M8, in its axial passage, is a stem i2, madefrom a synthetic sponge or similar material having a high coefficient ofswelling, for example of the order of five, when it passes from the drystate to the wet state. The stern E25 is in contact, at its front face12s, with the ball 122'. The length of the stem is such that, when it isinserted in the passage 123-424 and when its front face 126' is incontact with the ball H22, it protrudes from the rear face E27 of theball head i138 sufficiently for it to be folded back at its end. Whenthe stem is wet, the folded branch 128 comes into contact with theinternal surface E29 of the barrel Hi9. When the stem is wet it is alsoin contact, at its lateral surface H30, with the bore H23 and its frontface 1% corresponds closely to the spherical shape of the ball H22.

When the ball writing device Mil is placed on the front part of thetracer oi, as shown in FIG. 32, the tracing point 63 assumes contactwith the curved part K23 which forms the external surface of the fold ofthe rear end of the stem as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7. Then, whenthe device iii comes into abutment at its annular face 133 against theshoulder 66, there is surface contact between the tip of the point 63and the curved part 132, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 12, thefriction developed upon the contact between the branch 12% and the bore129 opposing a general displacement of the stem 125. The ink can thenproceed by capillarity between the point 63 and the ball 122, where iteffects the satisfactory feed of this latter for writing.

When one removes the ball device lit], by simple pulling,

the writing instrument can be immediately used as a tracer. if one thencaps the tracer with the nib device tit), it can be used as a fountainpen.

ln H68. 13 and 14, a writing instrument lthl having a tracing point asdescribed above has, on its rear part, a cylindrical projection 101,which can comprise a metallic packing, on which the body of the fountainpen head or of the ball head can be fitted so that, when one wishes touse the writing device as a marker, and when thus its front part is freeof the nib head 6%), or of the ball head Hi this latter can be placed onthe rear end of the instrument on the projection Mill. The fountain penhead or the ball head thus placed on the rear end of the writinginstrument can be protected by the usual cap.

lclaim:

l. A writing device comprising a writing instrument having a tracingpoint, ink reserve means connected to said point for capillary feed ofink thereto and a detachable head having a writing member and cpjpillaryink conduction means adapted to cooperate Wlih sai point for thecontrolled feeding by capillarity of said writing member from said inkreserve means and via said point when said head is mounted over saidtracing point.

2. A writing device as claimed in claim 1, in which said writing memberis a nib.

3. A writing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said conduction meanscomprises an ink feeding tongue in contact with said nib, said tongueincluding a leg with which the tracing point cooperates when the head ismounted over said tracing point.

d. A writing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the nib is lined byan ink feeding tongue which is extended by a transverse leg covering awasher of porous material, said washer having a central orifice which-isof a shape corresponding with that of the tracing point.

5. A writing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ink conductionmeans comprises a core having a bore adapted to cooperate with saidtracing point, and further comprising a nib supported by said core andhaving slots establishing an ink communication between said. bore andthe zone of the surface of the conduit with which the nib is in contact.

6. A writing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said slots comprise aradial longitudinal slot and oblique slots.

'7. A writing device as claimed in claim 5', wherein the core has amiddle longitudinal slot and transverse grooves.

3. A writing device as claimed in claim i, wherein said writing memberis a ball.

9. A writing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said head comprises astem of spongy material having a high coefficient of swelling in contactwith the ball at its front end and the rear end of which is folded andin contact with said point when said head is mounted on said point.

it A writing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said writinginstrument comprises a body and means at the rear part of said body toreceive the detachable head.

1. A writing device comprising a writing instrument having a tracingpoint, ink reserve means connected to said point for capillary feed ofink thereto and a detachable head having a writing member and capillaryink conduction means adapted to cooperate with said point for thecontrolled feeding by capillarity of said writing member from said inkreserve means and via said point when said head is mounted over saidtracing point.
 2. A writing device as claimed in claim 1, in which saidwriting member is a nib.
 3. A writing device as claimed in claim 2,wherein said conduction means comprises an ink feeding tongue in contactwith said nib, said tongue including a leg with which the tracing pointcooperates when the head is mounted over said tracing point.
 4. Awriting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the nib is lined by an inkfeeding tongue which is extended by a transverse leg covering a washerof porous material, said washer having a central orifice which is of ashape corresponding with that of the tracing point.
 5. A writing deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein said ink conduction means comprises acore having a bore adapted to cooperate with said tracing point, andfurther comprising a nib supported by said core and having slotsestablishing an ink communication between said bore and the zone of thesurface of the conduit with which the nib is in contact.
 6. A writingdevice as claimed in claim 5, wherein said slots comprise a radiallongitudinal slot and oblique slots.
 7. A writing device as claimed inclaim 5, wherein the core has a middle longitudinal slot and transversegrooves.
 8. A writing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said writingmember is a ball.
 9. A writing device as claimed in claim 8, whereinsaid head comprises a stem of spongy material having a high coefficientof swelling in contact with the ball at its front end and the rear endof which is folded and in contact with said point when said head ismounted on said point.
 10. A writing device as claimed in claim 1,wherein said writing instrument comprises a body and means at the rearpart of said body to receive the detachable head.